GREEN BAY – New quarterback Brett Hundley rushed for his first NFL touchdown, and the Packers entered halftime with a 14-7 lead over the Saints on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Here's a recap of the first half.
First quarter:
The Packers took an early 7-0 lead and got two interceptions on defense in the first quarter against the Saints.
The Packers got on the board right away, and new QB Brett Hundley didn't even need to complete a pass. Rookie RB Aaron Jones ran for 15 yards on the game's first snap. An offside penalty turned a third-and-7 into third-and-2, and Jones took it for 6 yards around left end to move the chains. On the next snap, Jones burst through a huge hole up the middle and went 46 yards for a touchdown, putting the Packers up 7-0 just two minutes into the game.
QB Drew Brees got the Saints moving with passes of 24 and 14 yards to rookie RB Alvin Kamara. Brees then converted on fourth-and-2 from the Green Bay 29 with a 5-yard pass to WR Michael Thomas. Three plays later, though, on third-and-6, Brees tried to go to the end zone to WR Brandon Coleman, and Packers CB Damarious Randall intercepted. It was Randall's third interception in as many games, and just the third interception Brees has thrown this season.
The Packers went three-and-out. After a pair of runs by Jones picked up 9, Hundley threw incomplete to WR Davante Adams on third-and-short, and Green Bay punted. Saints WR Ted Ginn called for a fair catch and muffed the ball, but it didn't hit the ground and the Packers were called for fair-catch interference when they thought they had recovered a fumble.
Two plays later, Brees went deep to Ginn for 40 yards, but two plays after that, Packers CB Davon House intercepted a deep ball for Thomas, and the Packers took over deep in their own territory.
But the Packers went three-and-out again, failing on third-and-1 for the second straight drive. P Justin Vogel's 41-yard punt put New Orleans on its own 47. A 6-yard pass to Ginn and a 12-yard run by Kamara closed out the quarter with the Saints on the Green Bay 35.
Second quarter:
Saints RB Mark Ingram started the second quarter with runs of 6 and 8 yards to the Green Bay 21. The on third-and-1 from the 12, Ingram ran off left end untouched for the touchdown, and the game was tied at 7.
The Packers got moving on offense again as Jones ran for 5 yards and a first down. A 14-yard swing pass to WR Randall Cobb turned into a big play when a horse-collar penalty was tacked on. A 12-yard pass over the middle to TE Martellus Bennett made it first down on the New Orleans 20.
Three plays later, Hundley scrambled around the left side for a 14-yard touchdown, and the Packers were back in front.
The Saints got out to midfield on a 17-yard pass to TE Coby Fleener, but the drive stalled there as Brees went deep on third-and-2 to Thomas but overshot him.
The Packers took over on their own 8-yard line and got out of the hole when Hundley scrambled for 22 yards on third down. A false start on first down helped kill the drive, though, and Vogel punted the Saints back to their own 20.
After a sack by Nick Perry, the Saints faced third-and-17 and converted with a slip screen to Ginn on the left side. That put New Orleans on the 30 at the two-minute warning, but the Packers got the next third-down stop on a swing pass to Kamara, and the Saints punted.
The Packers took over on their own 19 with 1:23 left in the half. With the Saints using their timeouts to try to get the ball back, Hundley converted on third-and-4 with a 14-yard pass to WR Geronimo Allison, but then Allison dropped the next pass on first down. A deep sideline throw to Bennett produced a defensive pass interference call on S Vonn Bell, putting Green Bay on the New Orleans 36.
A defensive holding call gave the Packers another five yards, and just 18 seconds remained. TE Richard Rodgers was then called for offensive pass interference, pushing Green Bay back to the 41. K Mason Crosby missed a 59-yard field goal try, and one second was left on the clock, but the Saints tried a short pass rather than a Hail Mary.
